This invention relates to plastic lettering which is adhered to textile fabrics by a thermoplastic bonding substrate. More particularly it relates to a bonding substrate that includes a tacky layer for temporarily adhering the lettering to the fabric prior to activation of the thermoplastic bonding material.
In recent years a large market has developed for alphanumeric characters and other indicia, having a plastic outer surface, which can be applied to textile fabrics. For example, on athletic uniforms they have largely replaced the previously sewn-on characters used to identify the players and their teams. For convenience we use the term "lettering" herein in connection with all such indicia, including non-alphanumeric symbols.
The lettering generally comprises an outer layer of plastic material bonded to a thermoplastic bonding substrate. The two-layer material is die-cut to form the individual characters and marketed to the user in that form. The user positions the characters on the fabric with the substrate side against the fabric and then applies heat and pressure to the characters. This plasticizes the substrate layers which then flow into the fabric and adhere to the fabric after the heat and pressure are removed.
Users of lettering of this type have encountered a problem in accurately maintaining the positions of the characters between the time they are located on the garments and the subsequent application of heat and pressure to bond them in place. This is especially true when all of the characters are positioned on the fabric and then sealed thereto in a single subsequent operation, as is desirable for efficient operation. Desirably, the lettering is placed on the garment at one station and the garment is then moved to another station, where an ironing device applies heat and pressure simultaneously to all of the characters.
In response to this problem, it has been proposed to use a tacky bonding layer to accomplish adhesion to the garment. Because of its tacky nature this layer temporarily holds the character in place until the heat-sealing operation is effected. The heat-sealing then plasticizes the bonding layer to accomplish permanent sealing in the manner described above. However, the bonds resulting from this system do not stand up sufficiently to laundering and dry cleaning operations, which greatly detracts from their use on many fabrics, particularly those used as athletic uniforms.